BlockFrom the record
One of 6 National Register listings published here for Allen County · listed in 2024 · category: Building.
Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service
Iola Theatre
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2024.
The listing
- What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building as contributing to the listing.
- Address. 202 South Washington Avenue, Iola, 66749
- When was it listed? January 2024
- Category. building
- Also known as. Theaters and Opera Houses of Kansas MPS
- City. Iola city
- National Register reference number. 100009703 - assigned by the National Park Service when the property was listed.
Fires near this property
54 since 2015Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 54 fires within 5 miles of Iola Theatre between 2015 and 2020, burning about 390 acres in total. None started naturally. 15 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 23 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 15 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 11 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 2 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 1 |
| Smoking | 1 |
| Fireworks | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 September 2017 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Allen County | 215 |
| 6 August 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 225 |
| 22 August 2020 | Recreation and ceremony | 2.0 acres | Kansas Forest Service | not named |
| 22 August 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Allen County | 22 |
| 5 July 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 145 |
| 18 July 2017 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Allen County | 180 |
| 15 June 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3.0 acres | Kansas Forest Service | not named |
| 7 April 2017 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | Allen County | 14 |
Storms near this property
60 of 189 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Iola, the town this property stands in, in 189 storm reports between 1994 and 2026: 85 hail, 61 thunderstorm wind, 14 flash flood, 14 flood. The reports record 1 injury. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Iola | 1 hurt | A large tree was uprooted with numerous other reports of tree and limbs down. One tree fell on top of a car. |
| July 2007 | Flash Flood | Iola | $6,000,000 | Extremely heavy rainfall from the end of June into early July caused flash flooding throughout Allen County. The flash flooding and the ensuing river flooding caused an estimated 3 million dollars in damages to private property and 3 million dollars in damage to public infrastructure. Additionally, the flood water damaged and estimated 8,000 acres of crops. Moderate flooding occurred on the Neosho River with a crest of 26.9 feet recorded at Iola. This was 11.9 feet above flood stage. The river remained above flood stage until the afternoon of July 3rd. |
| April 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Iola | $500,000 | Winds estimated over 100 mph caused extensive damage including recreational vehicles turned over, picture windows and car windows blown out, a garage was moved six inches off its foundation, uprooted trees, and destroyed three barns. |
| April 2014 | Hail | Iola | $350,000 | A prolific hail producing storm dropped large hail across the city of Iola for twelve minutes. The hail ranged in size from tennis ball size (2.5 inches) to ping pong ball size (1.5 inches). There was widespread hail damage to roofs and cars across town. |
| October 2016 | Flash Flood | Iola | $200,000 | The Emergency manager reported flooding of roadways and stranded cars, especially on the west side of Iola and just west of town. |
| May 2003 | Tornado (F1) | Iola | $150,000 | Damage summary: 4NW Iola: Oil tank toppled, farm vehicle flipped over, several trees shreaded, and power poles snapped. |
| March 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Iola | $100,000 | Dairy farm hit. Damage summary: Roof blown off a machine shop, a lean-to blown over, downed power lines, and most of the cattle pens that were tossed. One head of cattle sustained minor injuries. One quarter mile east of the dairy farm, a delivery truck was blown onto it's side. |
| August 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Iola | $75,000 | Severe thunderstorm winds peeled off a 30-foot by 50-foot section of roofing from a business in Iola. The wind combined with heavy rain to damage much of the office area as well as most of the merchandise. Wind-driven rain also flooded sections of two schools in Iola. |
| May 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Iola | $50,000 | Numerous trees down in town. At least one tree was down on a house. |
| April 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Iola | $50,000 | A violent storm with winds estimated at 80 mph moved through Iola, partially collapsing a truck repair shop roof. The roof was also blown off the building across the street with the chimney partially destroyed. Numerous trees were blown down, some of the trees were three to four feet in diameter. A chimney was blown off the roof of a house crashing into a car. |
| March 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Iola | $50,000 | Windows blown out of unspecified number of cars and businesses. Trees and power lines downed. |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Iola | $50,000 | Tree damage, most noteworthy being a 50-foot tree falling onto a car. |
| May 2009 | Flash Flood | Iola | $35,000 | Numerous county roads throughout the county were flooded from 2 to 4 inches of rainfall falling in a very short time period. |
| August 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Iola | $25,000 | Power poles downed. |
| April 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Iola | $20,000 | Tree damage was noted in Iola. |
| May 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Iola | $20,000 | Utility poles were snapped in half on the west side of town. |
| April 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Iola | $20,000 | Numerous trees were blown down across the county. Several roads were blocked due to downed trees. |
| August 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Iola | $15,000 | Two large trees were downed, windows from a house were shattered, and two barns sustained damage. |
| June 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Iola | $10,000 | Winds estimated from 60-70 mph downed trees and power lines, causing power outages. Windows were broken in an unspecified number of houses. |
| March 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Iola | $10,000 | A semi tractor trailer was overturned a half mile south of the Highway 54 and Highway 169 intersection. |
| September 2009 | Flash Flood | Iola | $10,000 | Numerous roads were closed across the county due to the heavy rains. Some damage occurred where streams intersected roadways and washed out culverts. Several streets on the south side of Iola were closed by the high water. Rainfall amounts measured 3.95 inches. |
| September 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Iola | $10,000 | trees and power lines downed. |
| September 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Iola | $8,000 | Tree damage reported across town. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Iola | $5,000 | Power lines were reported down along with debris in the road. |
| April 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Iola | $5,000 | Trees were uprooted on the south side of Iola. |
| June 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Iola | $4,000 | Numerous trees and power lines were downed. |
| June 2009 | Hail | Iola | $2,500 | Car windsheilds were broken by the large hail along Highway 54. |
| October 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Iola | $2,000 | Wind damage was reported to a home and several trees near the intersection of South Dakota Road and 1000 Road. |
| October 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Iola | $2,000 | Thunderstorm winds damaged a barn. |
| August 2015 | Flood | Iola | $1,000 | Heavy rains produced nuisance flooding of the usual flood prone areas. |
| October 2018 | Flood | Iola | $500 | Westbound lanes of highway 54 on the east side of Iola were closed due to high water and flooding along the Rock Creek. Portions of highway 169 were also closed at the intersection of highway 54 due to the flooding. |
| July 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Iola | $500 | A large tree was blown down. |
| May 2020 | Flood | Iola | $100 | Typical flood prone areas had water accumulate across town. |
| August 2019 | Flash Flood | Iola | $100 | Several roadways and low water crossings were flooded from high water. |
| August 2019 | Flash Flood | Iola | $100 | Various low water crossings were flooded across the county and in Iola. |
| October 2018 | Flood | Iola | $100 | The Highway 169 and highway 54 interchange had minor flooding, possibly due to Rock Creek rising. |
| October 2018 | Flood | Iola | $100 | County roads were flooded north of Iola. US Highway 169 was closed north of town. |
| April 2014 | Flood | Iola | $100 | Numerous low water crossings were reported with water over them. Street flooding was also reported in the town of Iola, Kansas. |
| July 2010 | Flash Flood | Iola | $100 | Numerous county roads were closed across the county. |
| July 2010 | Flash Flood | Iola | $100 | Water was reported over some county roads west of Iola. Nearly 3.20 inches of rainfall caused water to flow over Florida and County road 200 and Missouri and County Road 600. |
| April 1994 | Hail | Iola | $50 | no account filed |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Iola | - | Iola Airport measured a 62 mph wind gust. Some tree limbs were reported down in town along with some electrical outages. |
| August 2023 | Flood | Iola | - | There was a report of some street flooding in Iola. This was a delayed report and the time was estimated by radar. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Iola | - | Winds were estimated to be around 60 to 70 mph. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Iola | - | This was a measured wind gust at Allen County Airport. |
| June 2022 | Heavy Rain | Iola | - | The Cocorahs observer 2 miles southeast of Iola reported 2.53 inches of rainfall in 24 hours. |
| March 2021 | Heavy Rain | Iola | - | This was a 24 hour total. |
| March 2021 | Heavy Rain | Iola | - | This is a 72 hour rainfall total. |
| May 2021 | Heavy Rain | Iola | - | This is a 24 hour rainfall report of 3.8 inches at the Allen Co. Airport. |
| May 2021 | Heavy Rain | Iola | - | This is a 24 hour rainfall report of 3.89 inches. |
| May 2021 | Heavy Rain | Iola | - | This is a 24 hour rainfall report of 3.75 inches. |
| May 2021 | Heavy Rain | Iola | - | This is a 24 hour rainfall report of 3.26 inches. |
| May 2021 | Heavy Rain | Iola | - | This is a 24 hour rainfall report of 3.509 inches. They also mentioned that the Deer Creek north of Iola was out of its banks. This report was relayed via Twitter. |
| June 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Iola | - | This was a measured wind gust at the Allen county airport. |
| September 2021 | Heavy Rain | Iola | - | A cocorahs observer reported 6.67 inches of rainfall. |
| September 2021 | Heavy Rain | Iola | - | A cocorahs observer reported 4.05 inches. |
| October 2021 | Heavy Rain | Iola | - | This is a 24 hour rainfall report of 3.18 inches at KK88 Airport in Iola. |
| December 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Iola | - | This was a measured gust. |
| May 2020 | Hail | Iola | - | Location was on the north side of town. |
| August 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Iola | - | Dime size hail was also reported. |
Map coverage status
No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.
Listed places nearby
5 within 8 milesOther National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kress Building (S.H. Kress & Company Store) | 0.2 miles | 2022 | |
 | Allen County Jail | 0.2 miles | 1971 |
 | Northrup House | 0.4 miles | 1997 |
 | City Square Park Bandstand | 7.7 miles | 2014 |
 | Lander's Wagon and Carriage Shop | 7.8 miles | 2017 |
Sources for this property
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 100009703 in Record Group 79. |
| Allen County | All 6 listed properties in this county. |
Provenance
- Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
- Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
- How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
- Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
- Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.